Sridhar Bhamidi
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has ordered his scouts to keep a close eye on Benfica starlet Andrija Zivkovic. The Sun reports that Mourinho eager for his club to monitor the Serbian winger who has emerged as one of the best young prospects in Portugal.
The youngster is making a name for himself in the Portuguese League and has been the toast of various scouting networks. Reports from the O Jogo newspaper revealed that United’s scouts have been watching all of Benfica’s matches this season on Mourinho’s instructions.
The 21-year-old winger has apparently impressed the scouts who believe that he can fit in the Premier League and can play for a big club like the Red Devils. Interestingly, United have been drawn with Benfica in the Champions League group stage and the scouts will have another chance to watch him when they face each other this season.
Zivkovic has been long touted as one of the greatest talents coming out of Serbia of his generation, after he made his debut for Partizan Belgrade as a 17-year-old. Such was his impact that he made his international debut at the same age.
He even became the youngest captain in Partizan’s history when he was handed the armband at the age of 17 years 7 months in his breakthrough season. It wasn’t a surprise then that he was snapped up by Benfica on a five-year deal at the beginning of last season.
Zivkovic continued his progress at Benfica, becoming one of their key players. Mourinho has overhauled the company’s scouting network to increase our chances of landing emerging young talents.
United made a big move in the summer by snatching the highly-rated Javier Ribalta from Juventus as the head of United’s scouting operation. This was the same gentleman who delivered the likes of Paul Pogba, Kingsley Coman, Sami Khedira and Alvaro Morata to Juventus, turning them into one of the most dominant forces in European football.
Will Ribalta be able to deliver Zivkovic to Mourinho next summer? The youngster is one of those rare young talents who already look like a finished product. If Mourinho gets his wish next season, we may have a gem on our books.
